Perennial Plant Conference

Friday, October 19, 2018

Lang Performing Arts Center, Swarthmore College

Sponsors

The Garden of a Lifetime. A Century in the making.

Longwood Gardens is a feast for the senses! As the world's
premier horticultural display garden, Longwood boasts over
1,000 acres of majestic gardens, natural woodlands, and colorful
meadows. Twenty spectacular outdoor gardens transform with
the seasons, while indoors, four acres of heated conservatories
contain amazing garden settings that change throughout the
year. Featuring more fountains than any other garden
in the United States, Longwood delights visitors with magnificent
water displays while showcasing dynamic concerts and performances,
and offering extensive educational programs for every level
of interest. Longwood really is America's ultimate garden
treasure.

Chanticleer was the estate of Christine and Adolph Rosengarten,
Sr., head of the pharmaceutical company Rosengarten and Sons. Their
son Adolph Jr. left the property to be enjoyed as a 35-acre
public garden. The garden has been open to the public
since 1993.

The Washington Post called Chanticleer “...one
of the most interesting and edgy public gardens in America.” The
garden focuses on plant combinations, containers, textures,
and colors, often relying on foliage more than flowers.
Tens of thousands of bulbs clothe the ground in spring, followed
by orchards of flowering trees with native wildflowers blooming
in the woods. A vegetable garden complements a cut-flower garden.
Courtyards are a framework for unusual combinations of hardy
and tropical plants. Vines grow in nooks and crannies, trailing
and twining. A serpentine of cedars, boulders, and agronomic
crops undulates through a mown hillside. A woodland garden
carpeted with Asian groundcovers and full of rarities leads
to a water garden surrounded by exuberant perennials. A ruin
plays with indoor/outdoor relationships and contrasts the light
and dark sides of gardens. Sculptures, homemade seats,
benches, wrought iron fences, and bridges highlight the uniqueness
and personal nature of the garden.

Chanticleer is indeed a pleasure
garden, offering an escape from the rush of every day life
and a place where one can feel like a personal guest of the
Rosengarten family.

The Scott Arboretum is an educational garden of ideas and
suggestions. Covering more than 300 acres of the Swarthmore
College Campus and exhibiting over 4,000 different kinds of
plants, the Arboretum displays some of the best trees, shrubs,
perennials, and annuals for use in the Delaware Valley. Established
in 1929 as a living memorial to Arthur Hoyt Scott, the Arboretum
is open to the public year-round free of charge, from dawn
to dusk. Adam Levine in the November/December 2002 issue of Garden
Design magazine described the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore
College as "the most beautiful campus in America." Office
hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to
4:30 p.m. For more information, please call the Arboretum Offices
at 610-328-8025.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) is a not-for-profit
membership organization founded in 1827. Under the leadership
of Drew Becher, PHS provides great events, activities, and
publications for novice gardeners, experienced horticulturists,
and flower lovers of all ages.

The Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group is a not-for-profit
volunteer organization for gardeners in the Mid-Atlantic region.
They encourage gardeners – from beginners to professionals – to
learn more about horticulture and to share skills, knowledge,
and plants with each other.

Members gather informally throughout
the year to visit gardens and nurseries in the Delaware Valley.
They sponsor seminars and lectures about plants – both
hardy and tender – as
well as ecology, design, propagation, and conservation.

They also hold sales featuring choice and unusual plants and
garden accessories, and co-sponsor other events with leading
area horticultural institutions. Many members enjoy helping
with HPS/MAC programs and activities, but there are no membership
requirements.